Western strugglers beaten again. February 19 round-up

Thursday’s KHL action saw the Western Conference basement duo in action – and both lost out once again. Lada, already eliminated from playoff contention, fell 2-4 at home to Ak Bars, although the struggling Motormen kept this game tied until late on. Sochi, rooted to the foot of the Western Conference, could not lay a glove on Dynamo as the Muscovites won 4-0.

Ak Bars gets past Lada

Lada Togliatti 2 Ak Bars Kazan 4 (1-1, 1-1, 0-2)

The form guide pointed to an Ak Bars victory, with the visitor already confirmed in this season’s playoffs while the home team was the first to be eliminated from contention. And the game produced the expected result, with two goals from Nathan Todd leading the Tatars to victory.

However, this was not quite as simple as it might seem. Lada put up a good fight, opening the scoring and keeping the game tied until the 58th minute before two late goals secured a road win for Ak Bars.

The Motormen started well and frequently tested the visiting defense with pacy attacks. That led to a sixth-minute goal for Tyler Graovac, deftly redirecting Alex Cotton’s shot into the net. Cotton extended his productive streak to five games, fellow assistant Andrei Chivilyov to four.

After that, Ak Bars took control of the play and Dmitrij Jaskin tied the scores in the first period. However, with home goalie Alexander Trushkov in fine form the visitor could not get ahead before the intermission.

The go-ahead goal had to wait until the middle frame, when Kirill Semyonov’s diagonal feed set up Todd’s first of the game. The stage seemed set for Ak Bars to go ahead and claim a comfortable win, but the visitor’s power play misfired. Riley Sawchuk pounced on the puck in center ice and skated away to tie the scores.

Lada hung in there, and threatened more at the start of the third when only a fantastic Timur Bilyalov save kept the game tied. Trushkov also made some notable stops but, as the hooter approached, the Ak Bars offense grew ever more incisive. In the 58th minute, Todd made the breakthrough, applying a skilful redirect to claim his second of the game. Trushkov made way for a sixth skater, but that merely helped Alexander Barabanov score into the empty net to seal the verdict.

Blue-and-Whites blank Sochi

Dynamo Moscow 4 HC Sochi 0 (2-0, 1-0, 1-0)

Two goals from Max Comtois lifted Dynamo to a fourth successive victory. Sochi’s defeat, its seventh on a gruelling nine-game road trip, leaves it a point adrift at the foot of the Western Conference standings. The Leopards must now win all 12 of their remaining games to have even a theoretical chance of making the playoffs.

The home team took control of this game early on. Comtois opened the scoring in the fourth minute, converting the first power play of the game when he put away the rebound from Daniil Pylenkov’s shot. Midway through the first period, the defenseman produced another big shot and this time he scored himself to double the lead. Pylenkov moves to 43 points this season and has 1+3 in his last four games.

Sochi managed to get its game moving as the first period progressed, and Maxim Motorygin had to make some smart stops to deny Max Ellis and Daniil Seroukh. But hopes of a revival were halted in the 28th minute when Comtois potted his second of the game. This time he produced a shot that was deflected past Pavel Khomchenko in the Sochi net.

After Dynamo dominated the first two sessions, Sochi managed to even up the play in the third. There was some assistance early in the frame when Pylenkov continued his busy evening with a double minor for holding followed by misconduct. But the Leopards’ power play could not find a way through, nor could it take advantage of Artyom Chernov’s high sticking penalty a few minutes later. It fell to the Blue-and-White PP to show the way, and a well-worked play set up captain Igor Ozhiganov to make the final score 4-0. Motorygin had 30 saves for his fifth shut-out, making an impressive return on his first action since Jan. 30.